120 A BOTANICAL TOUR AMONG THE SOUTH SEA ISLANDS. 
had not the Commodore and some of the officers been present, he would have 
attempted to handle me roughly. Another fact worthy of notice is, that the 
natives of many of the islands—and partieularly those of Tana and Vate, 
New Hebrides—ornament their houses by planting around them the prettiest 
variegated plants they can find. Crotons and Dracenas are great favourites 
with them, as also are plants with strong perfume, such as the Evodia, and 
others. It may appear strange to some that even those naked savages have a 
taste for the ornamental and beautiful, but I believe that there is no one in 
existence who could, without a feeling of delight, pass by a group of those 
most striking of all variegated plants, the Crotons and Dracenas. No bouquet 
could produce a more varied display of brilliancy than I have seen in them. 
Imagine what a dazzling effect a Croton must produce, from 12 to 15 feet in 
height, having a mass of foliage, striped or spotted with the most glowing 
colours,—bright scarlet, vermilion, or yellow, reticulated with purple, green, 
orange, or pink. The Draesnas, not less beautiful, are generally found upon 
e mountain slopes, and it is a strange fact, with regard to the latter, as well 
as with several other plants I have met with, that the coloured variety found 
in one spot may not be found elsewhere upon the island. "There is no general 
distribution of any but the green varieties, and those occur in all the islands. 
It occupies altogether about sixty acres, and is situated upon a rich alluvial 
Bilimbi, Achras sapota, Anona squamosa, and many other beautiful fruits, 
were here thriving most luxuriantly. The Vanilla aromatica had climbed up 
the stems of many of the Breadfruit and Cocoa-nut trees with whieh this 
garden is studded. There is no very great display of artistic decoration in the 
garden itself, but it — justly be termed an Eden, from its picturesque situ- 
ation ; its running streams and small lakes; its avenues and groups of Bread- 
fruit and Dad its plantations of Banana, and thickets of Pandanus 
The growth of everything is exuberant. The prettiest hedge I have ever seen, 
surrounded a fancy-garden near the house, it was formed of a dwarf, bright 
scarlet, large, double-flowering Hibiscus (indigenous to the Samoas), about 4 
over a great portion of the island. The vegetation everywhere " indescribably 
rich, vt mere: principally of the Orders Malvaceae, Myrtaceae, Tiliacea, 
ipindacee, Guttifere, Araliacea, d Leguminose, eroe Eu- 
sicibme: Conposite, and Urtica 
(To be continued.) 
